Long-term monitoring to assess the benefits of stream frontage management to ecological condition of the Campaspe River, Victoria Australia

Coliban Water has funded a further 14.3‐kilometre section of the North Central CMA’s “Caring for the Campaspe” stream frontage management program (SFMP). Designed to improve the ecological condition of the Campaspe River by improving riverside vegetation, the program removes willows and revegetates riparian land with native plants and provides fencing to exclude stock from the river corridor. The AQUEST research group, from RMIT University, was engaged by Coliban Water to assess the environmental benefits of this program to river health. To assess the benefits of the SFM works to river health, a variety of indicators including water quality, aquatic ecology (macrophytes, algae and macroinvertebrates), nutrient availability, and ecotoxicology are being monitored at 8 sites along the Campaspe River, from Carlsruhe to Redesdale. Monitoring is being conducted yearly over a 5‐year period, targeted to periods when the river is flowing, as in the study area the River is ephemeral, particularly during the summer period. The first 2‐years of monitoring show some sites are physically in very poor condition, with poor water quality and aquatic ecology; while other sites are in good condition, dominated by native vegetation with good water quality and aquatic ecology. Several pollutants were present including elevated nutrients, heavy metals and several pesticides. The major contributors to sites in poor condition, were the lack of quality habitat, urban, agricultural, and industrial runoff, and treated and untreated wastewater inputs. This program shows how using a variety of physical and ecological indicators can provide a greater understanding of river health and the majors factors influencing it.